Student Profile
Sandy
- Class: Junior
- Major: Psychology
- Gender: F
- High School:
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
I think our schoool is a good size, large enough where you don't know everybody, but small enough where you see people you know when walking around campus. Most of my time spent on campus is in on-campus housing, the gym, the library, or The Commons. There is no college town atmosphere. I think UMBC's administration is too focused on the academic parts of the university - there are other aspects to a college other than great academics. School spirit needs to be addressed, as well as other involvement opportunities for students so that they can feel more a part of UMBC than just using UMBC as a stepping stone to get somewhere else. There has been an uprise of school pride in the past two years with the women's basketball team going to the school's first ever NCAA tournament last year and getting UMBC's first taste of national TV coverage and with this year's men's basketball team having an outstanding and exciting season that go UMBC even more free national TV coverage. The student body began to embrace UMBC and be excited about their school and show true school spirit. It is amazing what a successful sporting season that gets your school on a national level can do for a school. UMBC is very unusual in how diverse the community is. This is a great thing about UMBC in how anybody can find their niche on campus. One of the most frequent student complaints is that of the lack of parking - we need more student parking!
Academic Life
I think UMBC does a great job with the academics part of college. Other than your intro classes that are large lecture hall classes, the other classes are a realistic class size. Professors often learn your name if you put yourself out there and actually talk to them. My favorite class has to have been Anatomy and Physiology purely because of the professor. Dr. Fleischmann gets so excited about the course content that it makes you excited about it. She has unique ways of explaining the material and is very open to questions and conversation within class. It is a great learning environment, and she makes you want to do well. Class participation is common in classes once you get to your smaller classes. Yes, UMBC students have intellectual conversations outside of class. Students are very competitive in classes and you can tell that most students here want to excel and be successful. The most unique and entertaining class had to be Introduction to Moral Theory. This class was taught by Jim Thomas and he made the class anything a student could ask for and more. He relates the theories in a way that makes you think and really can apply them to your life. He is quite entertaining and makes you stay engaged in class. He also seeks a lot of class participation, and with that comes a lot of different opinions. A great class. In the psychology department, most of the professors are very friendly and are willing to work with students. They are very approachable and if you go see them during office hours, they will help you with anything you do not understand. The only time outside of class I see professors is when I go to their office hours or arrange a time with them to meet in their office about class. I think UMBC's academics are very demanding, and in turn hopefully will prepare us well for getting into the work force or going on to graduate schools.
Student Body
My experiences with all of the different races, religions, sexual orientations, SESs and other groups is that all are pretty much tolerated and allowed to be their own selves. There is so much diversity in all of those different aspects here on campus that there is a place for everybody and most groups seem to coexist and sometimes mingle with one another. As far as attire to class for students goes, some wear very casual clothes such as sweat pants, jeans, etc., but others wear more professional attire possibly because they come from work or what not. UMBC students are from all over the world. I would guess that the majority are from Maryland, but there is a large percentage of people from all over the US as well as the rest of the world.
The Best Things
high academic standards, school size, lots of diversity
The Worst Things
lack of school spirit and lack of parking
